The air was thick with tension.
The island trembled beneath the sheer power of Kordak and Ragnor's blows, the ring of steel on steel echoing like thunder on the battlefield. The two colossi fought in a brutal dance of raw strength, neither of them giving an inch.
But Solian wasn't going to let that happen.
The Solar Rift Pirates hovered over him, battered and bruised but unflinching. Their eyes flicked between the two giants, awaiting their captain's move.
Solian's mind reeled.
They could not afford to let this fight continue.
Kordak was too dangerous—much too dangerous. If he won, he would not leave Ragnor to die alone. He would turn his fangs on all of them. The island, the pirates, the Marines. it would be carnage.
He had to make a choice.
System Quest: Defeat Kordak the Crimson Fang
Objective: Kill or incapacitate Kordak before he escapes.
Reward: +15 System Points, ??? (Locked)
Failure: Crew annihilation.
Fifteen points.
A reward like that meant one thing—this fight wasn't just about survival. It was a turning point.
"Vance, Kael, Jorin." Solian's voice was sharp and urgent. "We're taking Kordak down first."
Vance frowned. "Even with Ragnor in the mix?"
Solian's fists tightened, his flames raging. "If Kordak kills us, we all die. If we defeat him first, we live."
Jorin breathed out, glancing at the battlefield. "Alright. Then what do we do?"
Solian eyed the two combat titans, studying Kordak's movements carefully. Unlike Ragnor's wild blows, Kordak's strikes were measured, frugal—like an animal toying with its victim.
He was fast. Too fast.
Solian's mind snapped into place. That's it.
"We don't take him head-on," he declared. "We trap him into a corner."
The Trap is Set
BOOM!
Kordak's fang-studded gauntlet cracked Ragnor solidly in the chest, sending the pirate thug crashing through a building.
Dust exploded into the air, rubble raining down as Kordak spoke to the battlefield.
"Hah… pathetic." He shrugged, crimson eyes surveying the field. "That's all you had, Ragnor?
Ragnor grunted, struggling to push himself free of the wreckage. He was alive—but only barely.
Kordak shrugged, as if he were bored. "Guess I should—"
SHOOM.
A bright light flashed before him.
Solian appeared out of nowhere, his fist surrounded by blinding plasma.
"Solar Rift: Photon Burst!"
BOOM!
The punch crushed Kordak's chest, a burst of solar flames bursting outward.
Kordak slid back, boots scraping on the stone. The ground split open under him, heat waves ripples in the air.
But he didn't drop.
Kordak slowly lifted his head, the rough metal of his gauntlets radiating softly red where the flames had touched. His red eyes narrowed.
"Oh?" He smiled, lips twisting. "That stung a bit, actually."
Solian dropped, his feet scorching the ground. His heart pounded. Damn it, he barely flinched!
Kordak stretched his shoulders, rolling his neck with a series of sickening cracks. "Guess I'll actually have to try now."
Then he vanished.
A blink—
A blur of fangs and steel.
SHING!
Solian barely teleported away as Kordak's claws tore through the space he had just occupied. He reappeared a few meters away, chest heaving.
He wasn't fast enough.
Kordak was faster.
Kordak chuckled. "Not bad, kid. But you're still too slow."
He lunged.
Solian braced himself—
"NOW!"
BANG! BANG! BANG!
Gunfire roared from the rooftops.
Vance and Kael laid down a hail of shots, forcing Kordak to spin mid-air to deflect them.
Jorin struck from behind, his sword shining in the glow of the fire—
CLANG!
Kordak spun around, blocking the blow with his gauntlet. "Tch."
Mistake.
That was Solian's opportunity.
His flames ignited.
"Solar Rift: Plasma Strike!"
He vanished—
—and reappeared behind Kordak.
Kordak's eyes widened in horror.
Solian's fist hit his back, plasma exploding on impact.
BOOM!
Kordak was hurled through the air, smashing through a building. Dust and debris clouded the air.
The Solar Rift Pirates patiently waited.
Solian would not calm down.
He knew that this was not enough.
The Monster Awakens
The rubble shifted.
Then—
A dark red aura erupted from the ruins.
The air grew thick.
The dust disappeared—
Kordak stood there, grinning.
Blood trickled from his lips, but his body barely appeared damaged. His red eyes blazed with hunter's hunger.
"Now," he gasped, "this is getting interesting."
Then—
His body changed.
The air twisted around him, his muscles bending, his veins pulsating black.
And then—
He roared.
The scream ripped across the field, a low, animal growl that sent a shiver down Solian's spine.
Then it made sense.
This was not just a mighty warrior.
This was something else.
Kordak's voice was different now, deeper, rougher—inhuman.
"You're lucky, kid." His lips peeled back, revealing sharp, metallic fangs. His hands twitched, the steel claws on his gauntlets growing.
"Because now," he grinned, "you get to see my true power."
The Crimson Fang Fruit.
A Zoan.
A monster.
Solian's body tensed.
This fight—
Just got a whole lot harder.